What is Metabolomics?

A look at how metabolomics can be used as a tool in the future of food quality improvements.

The conclusion to a three part series, this third and final article examines the application of metabolomics in the raw material production process.

As previously detailed, metabolomics has been developed as a new high-throughput analytical chemistry platform for the deep analysis of the biochemical composition of biological materials. The technology takes many forms and there are no real limits to the biological fields of application. Already metabolomics has been used in the medical industry for disease monitoring and the discovery of infection biomarkers, as well as microbial fermentation industry in the production of beer and high value chemicals. But perhaps the widest field of application has been in the area of the plant sciences.

Many uses for the technology have been found—in fundamental research for enhancing our understanding of how plants function—but primarily in applied plant science and nutritional science, where metabolomics is being used to help different industries improve plant-based products. One main area of application is using the technologies to advance knowledge of the biochemical composition of our crop-based foods and how we might improve this through targeted breeding and production/processing strategies.

Below are listed a small number of the many areas of metabolomics applications in the crop and food industries of relevance to food and nutritional quality.

http://www.nutraceuticalsworld.com/contents/view/32621

http://www.depsyl.com/

http://back2basicnutrition.com/

http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com/